


Lost and Found

by chicagos911



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:27:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23127016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chicagos911/pseuds/chicagos911
Summary: A year and a half after the death of his wife, Eddie is still struggling being a full-time firefighter and a single dad. When Shannon's parents show up with concerns about his parenting, Eddie suddenly finds himself fighting to keep Christopher in his life. Thankfully, he has the 118, but most of all, Buck, by his side and they aren't about to give up without a fight.
Relationships: Athena Grant/Bobby Nash, Christopher Diaz & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Eddie Diaz & Athena Grant (9-1-1 TV), Eddie Diaz & Henrietta "Hen" Wilson (9-1-1 TV), Eddie Diaz & Howie "Chimney" Han (9-1-1 TV), Eddie Diaz & Karen Wilson (9-1-1 TV), Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV) & Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Christopher Diaz & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley & Maddie Buckley, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Henrietta "Hen" Wilson/Karen Wilson, Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Comments: 7
Kudos: 142





	Lost and Found

“Christopher, ready to go?”

It was one of those mornings where nothing seemed to go right. First, Eddie’s alarm didn’t go off, then the hot water stopped working halfway through his shower, and then he’d run out of coffee. He tossed the dishes in the sink and ran for his work bag as Chris emerged from his bedroom.

“Ready, Dad!”

Eddie grinned. “Alright, bud. Let’s get this show on the road.”

They were right on track to make it on time as Eddie hoisted Chris into the truck and slid into the driver’s seat. However, as he turned the key, the engine sputtered and died.

“No, no, no!” “Dad? Are you okay?” Chris asked from the back seat.

Eddie turned around with a fake smile. “All good, bud. The truck’s acting a little funny, so I’m gonna call Aunt Pepa and see if she can come help us, okay?”

“Okay!” Chris agreed brightly. Despite his frustration, Eddie couldn’t help but crack a smile at the look on his son’s face. He quickly dialed his aunt, and ten minutes later, her car pulled up. Eddie lifted his son out of the truck and transferred him to his aunt’s car.

“Morning," he greeted her. “Sorry about this, I don’t know what happened.”

“It’s alright,” Peppa replied gently. “It happens.” They made it as quickly as they could to Christopher’s school, and by the time they were there, Eddie was already late for work. But that didn’t mean he was about to skimp on saying bye to his son.

“Alright, little man!” He helped Chris out of the car and walked him toward the school. “I will see you tomorrow morning. Be good for Carla, okay?”

“Okay, Dad,” Chris smiled. “Love you.”

“Love you too, buddy.” He kissed his son’s forehead and then hopped back in the car. A minute later, his phone lit up with a text from Buck.

_B: Hey man, you almost at the station?_

_E: Yeah, on the way. Had a bumpy morning._

_B: You alright?_

_E: Just car trouble. Let Cap know I’ll be there in ten._

_B: You got it. See you soon._

He set his phone down and, as he looked up, he realized Pepa was watching him with an expression close to concern.

“Tía, please don’t start,” he said, knowing very well where this was going.

“Eddito…ever since Shannon died, you’ve been having trouble managing everything,” Pepa said earnestly.

“I took care of Chris by myself long before Shannon died,” Eddie said stiffly.

“I know you have,” Pepa replied. “But now, it just seems like everything’s harder. Maybe it’s the grief, or—"

“If you’re suggesting that I can’t take care of my son—” Eddie began defensively.

“Of course I’m not,” Pepa cut him off. “I’m just worried about you. How can I help?”

“I don’t need help, Tía,” Eddie said stubbornly. “This won’t happen again, okay? I promise.”

Pepa gave him a long, hard look. “Okay.”

They were silent the rest of the way to the station. When they pulled up, Eddie gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“See you later,” he said.

“Be safe, Eddie,” Pepa said softly.

Eddie nodded and jogged into the firehouse. Everyone was already changed and upstairs for briefing. Eddie hurriedly changed in the locker room and then made his way upstairs.

“…there’s gonna be a couple of administrative changes next month, so I’ll let you all know when that gets closer,” Bobby was saying. He glanced at Eddie as he joined them.

“Sorry I’m late, Cap,” Eddie said quickly. “Truck wouldn’t start.”

“No worries,” Bobby replied. He turned back to the entire team. “Alright, that’s all for now. Make sure we’re fully stocked on supplies and equipment’s ready to go before we get any calls.”

“Copy that, Cap,” Hen said, and she and Chim headed off to stock the ambulance.

“Eddie,” Bobby called. “My office, please.”

Eddie groaned softly. “Right away, Cap.” As he went to follow Bobby downstairs, he passed Buck, who gave him a half-hearted thumbs-up and a smile. Eddie chuckled, appreciative of his friend trying to cheer him up.

“Sit down,” Bobby requested as they entered his office and shut the door. Eddie obliged, sitting down across from his boss.

“Again, I’m sorry I was late, Cap,” Eddie told him. “My truck wasn’t starting, so I had to call my aunt to drive Christopher and me. I promise, it won’t happen again.”

Bobby’s expression was similar to Pepa’s had been in the car. “Eddie, this is the fourth time you’ve been late this month. Last week you had to leave early, you’ve been more distracted than usual…”

“I’m sorry,” Eddie repeated. “I promise, I’ll try to—”

“Eddie, you’re not in trouble,” Bobby said quickly. “I get it. You’re a single dad with a very busy life and a difficult job, and you lost your wife not all that long ago. I’m just worried that you may be having trouble balancing all that.”

Eddie sighed. “It’s not easy, but I’ll manage.”

“Your history of managing is what worries me,” Bobby told him. “All that stress, it has to go somewhere. I don’t want it to backfire on you.”

Eddie raised an eyebrow. “Are you asking if I’m fighting again? Because I’m not, I stopped that a while ago.”

“I believe you,” Bobby said. “I just want you to know that you can ask for help if you need it, okay?”

Eddie took a deep breath and nodded. “I know. Thanks, Cap.” As he stood up, the bells went off, signaling them to respond to a house fire. He and Bobby exited the office and joined the rest of the firefighters as they suited up and headed to the scene.

-

Eddie sat on the bench in front of his locker, lost in his head. The fire had been relatively large, so he’d escaped everyone else on the pretense of having gotten soot all over his clothes and needing to change.

He thought about what Pepa and Bobby had said. Sure, losing Shannon again had been awful. Sure, managing things had been difficult lately. But he’d made it through, hadn’t he? So why was everyone trying to act like he couldn’t handle his life? He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“Hey.”

Eddie jumped to his feet like he’d been burned and turned around. Buck was standing in the doorway, arms crossed.

“Jesus, Buck,” he groaned. “Did you float in here?”

Buck smiled ruefully. “Sorry. You alright?”

“Yeah, fine,” Eddie replied. “Just needed to change.”

Buck raised an eyebrow. “Just needed to change, so you’ve been sitting in here for five minutes without moving.”

“You spying on me now, Buckley?” Eddie asked.

Buck chuckled. “Maybe.” Eddie grinned and sat back down as Buck took a seat on the bench next to him. “So, what’s up?”

“Why does something have to be up?” Eddie wondered.

“Well, for starters, you rushed in late and flustered. Oh, and did I mention sitting in here all alone?”

“You did indeed.” Eddie sighed. He couldn’t lie to Buck. “My aunt was on me about this earlier. She thinks I’m having trouble juggling work and everything since Shannon died.”

“Are you?” Buck gave him a knowing look.

“Maybe a little,” Eddie admitted reluctantly. “But it’s okay. I’ve done it before, it’s not like I can’t do it again.”

“Yeah, but last time you did it, you weren’t grieving,” Buck reminded him. “And it’s recently come to light that you don’t always handle your feelings super well.” He added the last part carefully, not wanting to hurt his friend’s feelings.

Eddie just nodded. “I know, I know. You’re right.”

“There’s no shame in needing a little extra help,” Buck told him. “Carla’s superhuman, but even she isn’t available all the time.”

“I know,” Eddie agreed. “I don’t know how I’ll manage this summer.”

“Isn’t that in, like, five months?” Buck asked.

“Yeah, but still.” Eddie groaned and rubbed his temples. “Man, everyone’s right. I’m drowning here.”

“Then let me help you.”

He said it like he was offering Eddie a ride home. “What?” Eddie asked.

“Let me help you,” Buck repeated. “I can watch Chris for you when we have different shifts. I’ll give you guys rides till you get the truck fixed.”

Eddie was amazed at how casually his best friend offered. It was like he didn’t even realize how big of a deal it was. “Man, I can’t ask you to do that—”

“I want to,” Buck interrupted. “If you need help, I want to be there. Please, don’t say you don’t need it, ‘cause you do.”

“I know,” Eddie said. “But it’s, just…are you sure? It’s a lot to ask.”

“Then it’s a good thing you didn’t ask,” Buck said matter-of-factly. “That’s what friends are for.” Eddie started to argue, but as he opened his mouth, he couldn’t think of anything to say. Buck smiled softly and clapped him on the shoulder before getting up and exiting the locker room.

Eddie shook his head. It was just like Buck to swoop in like that and improve his mood in two minutes. More like two seconds, he thought to himself. It was kind of impossible for him to stay upset after seeing Buck. He felt something lingering that he couldn’t pinpoint…some feeling between a flutter from when Buck had touched his shoulder, and a bizarre twinge of annoyance. Where that one came from, he had no idea. He shrugged it off, stood up, and left the locker room to return, determinedly good-natured, to the rest of the team.

-

Eddie had never been so happy to be off shift. The last call they’d gotten on shift was a massive car accident, and between running up and down the street and the oddly warm morning, he was exhausted and pouring sweat. A shower, a hug from his son, and a nap sounded like the best things on the planet. As his aunt pulled up in front of his house, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Pepa chuckled. “Go. Rest for a while.”

“Gracias, Tía,” Eddie said gratefully. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and hopped out, so ready to lie down.

However, he’d been so distracted by exhaustion up until then that he’d failed to notice the car next to his in the driveway. He stopped, confused. Was he expecting someone, and he’d forgotten about it?

Tentatively, Eddie put his key in the door, but to his even greater surprise, it wasn’t locked. Starting to feel nervous, he pushed it open and stepped inside.

“Hello?” He called.

“Ah, Eddie! We were wondering when you’d be home.”

Eddie jumped in shock as his eyes fell on two people sitting at the kitchen table.

“Barbara? Fred?” He exclaimed. He had no idea why Shannon’s parents were in town, much less in his house. He’d seen them more and more since the funeral for Christopher’s sake, but they always called first. He didn’t even know they had a key.

Barbara Davis smiled and stood up. “Lovely to see you.” She gave him a hug, which he returned quickly, still rather shocked.

“Um…how did you get in here?” Eddie asked, trying to sound friendly.

“Shannon’s old key,” Barbara explained. “We’re sorry to drop in like this, but we have something kind of important to talk about.”

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Eddie replied. He sat down with them at the table. “What can I do for you?”

Barbara and Fred exchanged glances. “Eddie, the two of us have been talking ever since Shannon passed,” Fred began. “We’re concerned.”

“About what?” Eddie asked.

“About you and Christopher,” Barbara continued. “I mean, it’s difficult raising any child, but taking care of a child who needs extra care, much less alone? That’s got to be insurmountable.”

Eddie raised an eyebrow. “I’m doing just fine. There’s nothing about taking care of Chris that I can’t handle.” He wasn’t a stranger to people expressing ‘concern’ about his parenting. This was starting to sound all too much like what Pepa, Buck, and Bobby had said.

“Eddie…” Fred looked apologetic. “With the job you do, and what Christopher needs, we’re worried that this isn’t the best place for him.”

“I’m sorry?” Eddie didn’t like where this was going.

“Christopher needs somewhere more stable, I think we can agree on that,” Fred said.

“He’s somewhere stable right now, thanks,” Eddie said bitterly.

Barbara raised an eyebrow. “I called your aunt a couple weeks ago. She was concerned, too. She said you’ve been having trouble managing everything since Shannon died.”

“You have no right—” Eddie began.

“We think it would be best if Christopher came to live with us,” Fred interrupted.

“What?” Eddie exclaimed. “That’s insane, he’s been with me his whole life. I’m not going to send him away.”

“We’re not suggesting that you send him away,” Barbara said, trying for a gentle tone but there was a hard edge in her voice. “But it’s clear to us that you’re not up to taking care of him right now.”

“That’s not true.” Eddie felt his temper rising, but he did his best to keep it at bay. “Things aren’t as easy as they could be right now, but I’m working on it. I’m gonna get some extra help, and—”

“That won’t be necessary, Eddie.” Barbara opened her purse and pulled out a piece of paper. She slid it across the table to him. “We didn’t want it to go this far, we hoped you would agree more easily—”

“WHAT?” Eddie shouted, jumping to his feet. “You filed a petition for custody of my son?!”

“Eddie, calm down,” Fred said harshly.

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Eddie said furiously. “You can’t take my son away from me, you have no right!”

“Actually, we do,” Barbara retorted. “Our grandson deserves more than such an unstable situation, and if you’re unwilling to work with us, then we have no choice but to take you to court.”

Eddie shook his head. “No. You’re not doing this.”

“It’s done, Eddie,” Fred told him. “Legal proceedings start Monday. If you don’t cooperate—"

“Get out.”

“Excuse us?” Barbara demanded.

“Get out. Get out of my house,” Eddie said in a dark voice. “Out!”

Barbara scoffed and grabbed her things. “You’ll be hearing from our lawyer.” Fred followed behind her. They walked out the front door and Eddie slammed it behind them.

He turned and slid down against the wall to the floor, hardly able to believe what had just happened. Lose Christopher? It was unthinkable, Eddie couldn’t even imagine what his life would be like without his son. He didn’t want to imagine it.

He had no idea what the hell to do.


End file.
